|
|
Sharks continue dominance of
Coyotes
Couture and Niemi lead in the
desert
Having already won three of three games against the
Phoenix Coyotes this season, the Sharks put together one of their most complete
team performances en route to a 4-1 win on Saturday night in Arizona. Logan
Couture scored a pair of goals and Antti Niemi made 26 saves to help San Jose
push their Pacific Division lead to four points. The victory also helps the
Sharks keep pace with the Detroit Red Wings for 2nd place in the Western
Conference.
Things went so well for the Sharks that the only black
spot was the fact that their consecutive games with a power play goal streak
was snapped at nine games. Putting four pucks past Bryzgalov on even-strength
situations more than made up for things.
San Jose was only forced to
kill two penalties throughout the night, but they did so by moving to the puck
and making smart decisions with the puck. Preventing the opposition from
scoring on the man advantage has been more than a problem area for the Sharks
of late, so simple victories like that really set the tone for the game.
Moving to the puck was the theme of the night for San Jose and it
served them well.
Logan Couture opened the game’s scoring with
his 29th goal of the season 5:06 into the game. Ryane Clowe set things up by
firing a shot from the right dot that Coyotes goaltender Ilya Bryzgalov failed
to control. Skating from the right corner, Couture out hustled everyone on the
ice to the loose puck sitting at the top of the crease, then slid a shot around
Bryzgalov for the 1-0 lead.
The Coyotes would tie thing up 1:17 later
when a shot from the point deflected off defenseman Niclas Wallin’s skate
right to Mikkel Boedker. The Phoenix forward was in perfect position to fire
home the deflection for his 4th goal of the season.
San Jose dodged a
bullet at 12:49 of the period when Andrew Ebbett found himself with the puck, a
head of steam and no defenders between him and the Sharks net. Ebbett raced up
ice, then put a breakaway chance shot wide of the net.
Phoenix got a
break of their own with four minutes left in the period. Joe Thornton trapped a
shot on net right on the doorstep. The big centerman pivoted to his right and
send a shot toward a wide open net from three feet out. His shot rang off the
left post and deflected out to keep the game tied at 1-1.
Couture just
missed on a second goal in the period late in the period when a Marc-Edouard
Vlasic shot deflected out to the slot as Couture crashed in on the net. His
return shot hit Bryzgalov in the pad and sat precariously in the crease until a
Phoenix defender swept it to safety.
Bryzgalov did a nice job to turn
aside a decent scoring chance by Torrey Mitchell two minutes into the 2nd
period after the Sharks forward worked the puck to the spot between the circles
and fired a shot on net.
Joe Pavelski put the Sharks back on top at
3:35 after jamming home a rebound from outside the right post. Thornton setup
the scoring chance after putting another shot off the post. Pavelski had just
sent a diagonal pass to the big centerman up the slot to setup Thornton’s
shot.
Niemi made a big save with his blocker after Keith
Yandle put a shot low to the stick side from 12 feet out.
Ryane Clowe
pushed the Sharks lead to two-goals with 4:43 left in the period, pumping home
a deflection from the high slot after Devin Setoguchi bounced a long shot off
Bryzgalov. Thornton setup the chance by moving the puck into the Phoenix zone
and dumping a pass to the Setoguchi along the left wing boards.
Setoguchi’s shot hit Bryzgalov and kicked out to the front of the net
where Couture whiffed on the put-back chance, but Clowe was trailing for the
second chance.
San Jose kept the foot on the gas to start the 3rd
period, keeping a steady stream of pressure on Bryzgalov. When the Coyotes
finally did get a shot net, Niemi was solid.
Couture gave the Sharks
plenty of breathing room by whipping a 50-foot shot past Bryzgalov with just
under 8 minutes to play. The rookie took a feed from Clowe at center ice before
racing across the blueline and putting a shot just inside the left post. The
tally put Couture within one of Michael Grabner’s NHL lead for goals by a
rookie.
Paul Bissonette felt the need to go after Sharks defenseman
Marc-Edouard Vlasic, but Clowe decided to intervene, dropping the gloves with
the Coyotes forward. The fight gave Clowe the Gordie Howe hat-trick and really
put an exclamation point on the evening.
San Jose now gets four days
off, which should provide more time for them to heal up and focus on the
penalty killing. They will face off against the Dallas Stars on Thursday night,
matching up for the first time since the Steve Ott circus twelve days ago.
 |
|
| What did you think of
this article? Post your comments on the Feeder Forums |
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
 |
What did you
think of this story? Post your comments on the
Feeder Forums |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
1 |
2 |
3 |
T |
| SJ |
1 |
2 |
1 |
4 |
| PHO |
1 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
|
|
| 1st period - 1, SJ,
Couture 29 (Clowe, Heatley), 5:06. 3, PHO, Boedker 4 (Morris, Turris), 6:23.
|
|
|
| 2nd period - 3, SJ,
Pavelski 18 (Thornton, Mayers), 3:35. 4, SJ, Clowe 24 (Couture, Setoguchi),
15:17. |
|
|
| 3rd period - 5, SJ,
Couture 30 (Clowe, White), 12:13. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| 1st period - Whitney,
PHO (hooking), 18:50. |
|
|
| 2nd period - Mitchell,
SJ (tripping), 10:58. |
|
|
| 3rd period - Clowe, SJ
(fighting major), 17:00; Bissonette, PHO (fighting major), 17:00; White, SJ
(delay of game – puck over glass), 17:43. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Shots |
Saves |
| SJ - Niemi |
27 |
26 |
| PHO - Bryzgalov |
32 |
28 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
1 |
2 |
3 |
T |
| SJ |
9 |
11 |
12 |
32 |
| PHO |
5 |
11 |
11 |
27 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Referees:
Joannette, Kimmerly. Linesmen: Shewchyk, Lazarowich. |
|
|
|
|
|
